Wrench



(No ModeL) u H- Wl Hump WRENCH.

N0. 5 88,1 1 0 Patented Aug. 1 0 1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN VILLIAM HOEFT, OF LA GROSSE, VISCONSIN.

WRENCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 588,110, dated August 10, 1897.

Application filed October 2, 1896.

To all whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERMAN WILLIAM IfIOEFT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of La Crosse, in the county of La Crosse and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,`reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in sliding-jaw wrenches; and the object of the invention is to provide a simple and convenient tool of this class;- and to this end the novelty consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of the same, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed outrin the claim.

In the accompanying drawings the same reference-characters indicate the same parts of the invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved wrench. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the top half of the case-handle removed. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of one of the sliding jaws, and Fig. 4 is a similar view of the sliding cross-head vand the contiguous end of its operating-rod. A

1 and 2 represent the two members of the case, which when screwed together by the countersunk head-screws 3 3 form the handle of the wrench, and one of these members is the exact counterpart of the other, except that the member 1 is provided with a longitudinal slot 4, and both members are formed with internal alined V-shaped webs 5, the outer walls of which are parallel with the outside flaring shell of the case. This construction provides for two diverging guideways, which receive the rectangular shanks 6 6 of the sliding jaws 7 7. Thev inner end of'each shank is provided with a tongue 8, having a lateral stud 9, which engages an orifice in one end of a link 10, the orifice in the opposite end of said link being pivoted to one of the lateral arms of the cross-head 11 by arivet 12.

13 represents a rod, one end of which is fixed in said cross-head, and its opposite Serial No. 6073687. (No model.)

threaded end extends through alongitudinal guide-orifice in the rear end of the handle, where it receives an adjustable thumb-nut 14, and it will be understood that while the thumb-nut ers no'impediment to the jaws sliding backward to bring their contiguous parallel faces closer together it does prevent them from sliding farther out when the distance between them would be increased.

19 represents a spiral spring encompassing the rod 13, one end resting against the crosshead 11 and the other against the inside of the casing, the rQfce of the spring being to force the jaws ,outwardly and hold them in the position given them by the thumb-nut 14.- The opposite side of each jaw is formed with an integral transverse arm 15, its free end lapping the same side of the opposite jaw, across which it freely slides as the jaws recede and approach each other.

16 represents a cam-faced thumb-lever adjustably secured on the outside of the member 1 by a set-screw 17, passing through the slot -il and secured in the threaded orifice 18 in the side of the shank and immediately in line with it. The oiice of this thumb-lever is'to lock the connected Shanks at any given point.. 'IVhen said lever is arranged transversely, as shown in Fig. 1,- and when arranged longitudinally, the jaws are released and are free to slide in and out.

In the ordinary use of my improved wrench the jaws are adjusted to encompass the nut by means of the thumb-nut and threaded rod 13, and the wrench then manipulates the same as a monkey-wrench.

For more rapid work the jaws are adjusted as before to leave a space between the jaws and the nut. The wrench is then applied to the nut and pressed forward until the transverse arms 15 come in contact with the nut, and the further pressure of the wrench against the nut causes the shanks to recede in the handle, forcing the jaws together to firmly engage the nut, which may then be turned to the right or left as desired. As soon as the wrench is turned in one direction as far as possible the mere act of withdrawing the wrench removes the pressure from the transverse arm 15, which allows the'spring 13 to force the jaws outwardly,` thus separating the jaws to a greater distance than the width IOO of the nut. This feature allows the wrench to be Very rapidly Withdrawn and adjusted to take a new hold.

By serrating the contiguous faces of the jaws a very convenient form of pipe-wrench is produced, as the automatically-expansible feature of the jaws enables the Wrench to adjust itself to a pipe with a firm grip.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, isk

A Wrench, comprising the casing formed with the diverging guideways, the oppositelydisposed jaws 7 7 formed with the transverse. arms 15, and having their integral Shanks 6 6 sliding in said diverging guideways, the links 10 connecting the converging end "of said Shanks with the cross-head 11, the threaded said rod passes, substantially as shown andV described.

In testimony whereof I ax my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HERMAN VILLIAM HOEFT.

lVitnesses:

JOHN J. EsoH, WALTER C. WINTER. 

